Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present invention relates to devices that volatilize a substance and disperse the resultant vapor into the air in a room or other space; and more particularly to such devices for dispensing air scents, pest control materials, allergen control ingredients, and other substances for air quality modification.
A common type of air freshener is plugged into an electrical wall outlet to supply power to a heating coil within a housing. The generated heat raises the temperature of a fragrant substance and volatilizes the substance. Convection air currents dispense the fragrance into the room. A similar heating mechanism can be used with a liquid air freshener, as is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,591,395 and 5,647,053. The disclosure of these patents and all other publications referred to herein are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth.
Both these types of air fresheners rely on existing air currents in the room to disperse the fragrance, and such reliance may not evenly or swiftly distribute the substance throughout a relatively large room. There is a need for efficient and economical means to both volatilize and effectively distribute volatilizable materials into the air of a room or other area.
The present environment control apparatus volatilizes and dispenses material into the air in a room or other area. This apparatus has an electric motor with a rotor and a coil such that, when electric current is applied to the coil, an electromagnetic field is produced that causes rotation of the rotor. Heat also is emitted from the coil. A source of volatile material to be dispersed into the ambient air is located adjacent the electric motor so as to be heated by the coil. That heating results in the material being volatilized. An air propulsion element, for example a fan or other impeller, is driven by the rotor to move air across the material and blow the resultant vapor into the surrounding environment. Various different embodiments of this apparatus can be provided for solid and liquid forms of the volatile material. In these various embodiments, the motor coil is configured to optimize heating of the material as well as applying a magnetic field to operate the motor.
For purposes of this disclosure, the term xe2x80x9cmagnetxe2x80x9d means a member or material that already has been magnetized, either permanently or temporarily, so as to produce a magnetic field, such as an electromagnet or a permanent magnet. In contrast, the term xe2x80x9cmagneticxe2x80x9d means a member or material that has a sufficient magnetic susceptibility to be capable of being temporarily magnetized to form an electromagnet or capable of being magnetized to form a permanent magnet.
The electric motor of the apparatus can be either a nutating type motor or a more conventional, non-nutating motor. However, a nutating motor is preferred, in part because of the flexibility possible in the design of the core. For example but without limitation, the coil can have a serpentine shape. The air propulsion element referred to can be any air movement impeller but preferably is a fan of any convenient design. A simple propeller-type blade fan is especially preferred. The existence in the prior art is acknowledged of nutational motors that employ a rotor caused to nutate within a stator by application of an alternating magnetic field.
The volatile material can be any desired volatile material that most readily vaporizes at a temperature elevated above room temperature. Air quality modification agents, pest control ingredients, and allergen control agents are preferred. An air quality modification agent is defined as any volatile material that changes the scent or other quality of the air, including but not limited to perfumes and air deodorizers. Pest control ingredients include insecticides, growth regulators, repellents, and any other volatile material that kills or affects the development, functioning, or behavior of a pest animal, including but not limited to insects.
The source of a volatile material can include a carrier substance into which the volatile material is incorporated, whether by impregnation, intermixture, coating, solubilization, or other means. A preferred carrier substance is a mat, including fibrous mats. Mats can be made of felted, woven, or non-woven fibers and fabrics. Alternatively, the carrier substance can be made of a material selected from polymeric, ceramic, or clay materials or from any other material capable of holding a volatile material for heated volatilization. Such materials can be liquids, gels, solids (including but not limited to powders), or any other convenient physical form.
The carrier substance can be held within a container. If necessary or useful, the container can have an opening that is closed by a material through which the carrier substance cannot pass but that is permeable to the volatile material. The container can include a cup within which the carrier substance or, in some instances, the volatile material without a carrier substance, is held. The cup can have an open top closed by a material through which the carrier substance (or the volatile material prior to volatilization) cannot pass but that is permeable to the volatile material in the vapor state.
If a liquid volatile material or carrier substance is to be heated by the coil to vaporize the volatile material, the source of a volatile material can include a vessel containing the liquid volatile material or carrier substance. The apparatus then preferably includes a wick that is in contact with the liquid and extends to the vicinity of the coil to transport the liquid to the coil for heating. In this context, a wick is understood to extend to the xe2x80x9cvicinityxe2x80x9d of the coil if it extends sufficiently close to the coil to be heated by it with the effect of increasing volatilization of liquid carried by the wick.
In one aspect of the invention, the electric motor (preferably a nutating motor) further includes a core of magnetic material extending adjacent to the wick, with the coil being wound around at least a portion of the core. In this context, a core of magnetic material shall be defined as extending xe2x80x9cadjacentxe2x80x9d to the wick if it is situated immediately beside the wick, is wholly or partially contained within the wick, or is a magnetic material capable of simultaneously serving as both the wick and core, whereupon the wick and core effectively extend together.
By way of example only, such a core can usefully curve at least partially around the wick. For example, the core can be a U-shaped core, with the wick extending between and being embraced by the arms of the U. As an alternative to such a U-shaped core, the core can curve entirely around the wick one or more times, surrounding the wick. Alternatively, the core can extend parallel to the wick and embrace it to a desired extent, like a partial sheath or longitudinally extending cover.
Alternatively, a core extending xe2x80x9cadjacentxe2x80x9d to the wick can include a body of magnetic material contained within the wick. Such a core can be a rod-like structure held within the wick. Alternatively, the wick can include discrete particles of magnetic material distributed within the wick, the discrete particles magnetically coacting to constitute the core. Such particles can be grains or particles, filaments, or any other convenient shape. Alternatively, a wick can be made partially or entirely of woven, felted, molded, or otherwise formed magnetic material to create a wick that can serve as a core and also be either porous or at least capable of transporting liquid by capillary action. A solid material can be made with capillary grooves or channels to transport liquid as a wick. This solid material can be itself a magnetic material that can serve simultaneously as both core and wick, or it can be a non-magnetic surface material with capillary grooves, the surface material extending along or even covering at least a part of the core. Such grooves or channels are taught in a different context in Lembeck, U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,881. Lembeck shows the use of open grooves formed in a plastic surface to carry liquid by capillary action upwardly from a reservoir to another, elevated location. In Lembeck, air freshening liquid is carried upwardly from a reservoir to an evaporator pad.
The apparatus can be usefully controlled in any convenient way including, for example, by incorporating a timer or incorporating a detector for sensing a selected physical event that occurs in proximity to the apparatus and controlling the electric motor in response to sensing such event. By way of example only, temperature or light conditions or the presence of a person can all be sensed and used as triggers for control.
The invention can be summarized alternatively as being an environment control apparatus for dispensing a volatile material into ambient air including a housing having an internal chamber with an air inlet and an air outlet. The apparatus further includes an electric motor positioned within the housing and having a rotor, a coil and a conductor for applying electric current to the coil, wherein application of electric current to the coil produces heat and also produces an electromagnetic field that causes rotation of the rotor. The apparatus also includes a holder to retain the volatile material within the housing and adjacent to the coil to allow the volatile material to be heated and vaporized by heat from the coil. An air propulsion element is connected to the rotor to move air through the housing from the air inlet, across volatile material retained in the holder, and through the air outlet. Optionally, a connector can be attached to the housing and coupled to the conductor of the electric motor for connecting the environment control apparatus to an electrical outlet.
Preferably, the internal chamber of the housing of the environment control apparatus so disclosed is formed by a first section into which the air inlet opens and in which volatile material can be positioned by the holder. The first section is configured to direct air from the air inlet across the container so positioned. The housing includes a second section into which the air outlet opens and which receives air flow from the first section. Preferably, an air propulsion element driven by the rotor is located in the second section.
The environmental control apparatus as so alternatively disclosed can include a volatile material to be dispersed. The volatile material preferably is a selected air quality modification agent, pest control ingredient, allergen control agent, or combination of such materials. The environment control apparatus can include a container held by the holder, the container holding either the volatile material itself or a carrier substance into which the volatile material to be dispersed is incorporated. The container has an opening that is closed by a membrane or other material through which the as yet unvolatilized material or the carrier substance cannot pass but that is permeable to the volatile material in the vapor state. Any of the carrier substances disclosed above can be used. The wick arrangements disclosed above for use with liquid materials can be used here, as well. Similarly, the alternative forms of the coil and means of controlling the apparatus already disclosed can also be used here.
The invention can be further summarized as a refill supply of a volatile material for use with a dispensing apparatus for delivering a volatile material into ambient air, the dispensing apparatus having an electric motor having a rotor and a coil producing an electromagnetic field that causes rotation of the rotor and also producing heat when electric current is applied to the coil. The refill supply is removably attachable to the dispensing apparatus and includes a vessel containing a liquid that incorporates the volatile material; a wick in contact with the liquid and extending within the coil when the refill supply is attached to the dispensing apparatus to transport the liquid for heating by the coil; and a core of magnetic material extending adjacent to the wick and positioned within the coil when the refill supply is attached to the dispensing apparatus. Any of the alternative embodiments disclosed above of a wick with adjacently extending core can be used here.
This apparatus has the advantage that the same coil that produces an electromagnetic field that operates the motor for air propulsion also provides heat to vaporize the volatile material. This offers opportunities for compact design, efficiency of manufacture by use of fewer independent parts, and energy-efficient operation by utilizing for volatilization what would otherwise be uselessly lost coil heat.